Stories by Julie Gerstein

There is a dark corner of Internet where teenage girls are searching for validation from the worst place imaginable -- YouTube commenters. It's called the "pretty or ugly" phenomenon, and it works like this: Girls post videos of themselves asking viewers to tell them whether or not they're pretty or ugly, and then wait for the comments to descend. And boy do they ever. read more

 Solange, no slouch in the style department, explains the secret of looking great in a photo: "It's like this weird generational thing with photo-taking, where it's all about looking natural, but you pose looking natural," she explains. "Like, 'I'm not paying attention, but I still look perfect.' Or 'I'm on my phone, but I don't make phone face.' All of those things I have no idea how to navigate through. I'm still learning my damn self. I just walk and try not to fall." A woman after our own heart. [StyleCaster] read more

 Would you go on a water-only fast? One intrepid, and we imagine, bloated, reporter did and found that after six days of nothing but agua, his allergies were gone, his joints felt better, and all the health problems that had been plaguing him for years had more or less receded. Still, six days without food (or even expensive Juice Press juices) is a mighty high price to pay. [GQ] read more

Vogue's Anna Wintour has a particular way of doing things. For one, the magazine's covers are typically plastered with lithe and attractive pretty young things with BMI's well under the "normal" range. But that could be changing. Because Wintour is supposedly considering putting Girls creator Lena Dunham on the cover of the magazine. read more

We love Jenna Lyons, and would probably follow her off of the edge of a cliff if she said that was what was so in for spring (best done whilst wearing a J. Crew Collection No. 2 pencil skirt, of course). She's our life role model, especially because she's one of the busiest women on the planet and still manages to look super pulled together and composed all of the time. read more

Fun fact: Despite what deodorant and antiperspirant advertisers have told us, not everyone needs to wear the stuff. Many of us can actually get away without dabbing under our arms as often as we do, and a lucky few don't ever have to. read more

 File Under: That thing doesn't go with that thing. Rihanna revealed that Princess Diana is the "Diamonds" singer's style icon of choice. "'You know who is the best who ever did it? Princess Diana. Every look was right. She was gangsta [sic] with her clothes. She had these crazy hats. She got oversize jackets," Rihanna told Glamour magazine. "I loved everything she wore." And actually? You can kind of see it at points. No, no, not the crazy cut off tee shirts and mini-skirts, of course. But it does seem that RiRi's copying Diana's look at points (check out this black tux look for proof). [DailyMail] read more

We women are weird creatures, and we'll go to great lengths to keep our perfect veneers from cracking -- at least when we're first dating someone new. Chief to keep the illussion of perfection going? Makeup, makeup, makeup. Some of our friends won't let their beaus see them sans fards until the relationship has been clearly locked down. read more